Allicin alleviates lead-induced hematopoietic stem cell aging by upregulating PKM2. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Allicin alleviates lead-induced hematopoietic stem cell aging by upregulating PKM2.
Biosci Rep. 2019 Jun 18. Epub 2019 Jun 18. PMID: 31213573
Shi-Zhong Cai
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) aging is associated with hematopoietic dysfunction and diseases. Our previous study showed that lead exposure induced a functional decline in HSCs. Allicin, a chemical extracted from the garlic (), has been reported to have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the biological activities of allicin on lead-induced toxicity, especially in the hematopoietic system, remain unclear. Here, we found that lead exposure elicited aging phenotypes in HSCs, including perturbed cell quiescence, disabled self-renewal function and colony forming ability, and myeloid-biased differentiation, all of which contributed to significant hematopoietic disorders in mice. Intragastric administration of allicin substantially ameliorated lead-induced HSCs aging phenotypeslead exposure induced a peroxide condition in HSCs leading to DNA damage, which reduced expression of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 isoform (PKM2), a phenotype which was significantly ameliorated by allicin treatment. These findings suggested that allicin alleviated lead-induced HSCs aging by upregulating PKM2 expression; thus, it could be a natural herb for preventing lead toxicity.